1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an emotive advisory system (EAS) for use by one or more occupants of an automotive vehicle.
2. Background Art
Using the vehicle clock should be as easy for the driver as having a passenger in the car that can check the time for the driver. Further, it should be possible to display the time in an analog format so it will be easier to read. State of the art clock radios are difficult to use. The traditional analog clock that was visible on the dashboard has been eliminated because of overcrowding on the dash. The state of the art clock is an LED or LC display that displays the time in digital format periodically on a small display.
Reading the display always involves looking away from the road and waiting for the time to appear on the display. Often the display is not visible while using sunglasses or with near field visual impairment. Therefore, glasses must be taken off or put on before the time can be read, and while the time is being read it may not be possible to adequately see the road ahead. Further, state of the art clocks lack many of the features that could make them easy to use. A digital time display is inconvenient because one frequently needs to do some arithmetic to get the information one needs. For example, if you have a 1:10 PM appointment and your clock says 12:56 PM, you must do some mental arithmetic to determine that you have 14 minutes to get to your appointment.
State of the art clocks do not correct for daylight savings or the time zone. Neither can they tell you the time in Chicago when you are in Detroit. The driver should be able to ask the clock “how much longer?” and the clock tells you how many minutes to the destination. Unfortunately, vehicle clocks are not well integrated into other vehicle functions. There is no way; for example, to compute the time that fuel will run out or the time the vehicle will see sunrise or some bad weather.
In addition, the vehicle dashboard continues to grow increasingly complex. As new systems are added and existing systems become more complex there is added competition for space on the dashboard and the controls are increasingly difficult to use. New systems include navigation systems, MP3 players, hands free cell phone and satellite radio; while old systems that are becoming more complex are FM/AM radio, HVAC (heat, ventilation and air conditioning), vehicle lighting and drivetrain controls.
Increasingly there is a move away from conventional controls to human interfaces to manage this complexity. In one approach, multiple interfaces in an automotive vehicle are consolidated into a single interface in an emotive advisory system (EAS).
Background information may be found in U.S. Pub. No. 2008/0269958.